Would I be an idiot?

Hey im new to the forum and I really need to upgrade my computer. Right now I am using an older eMac G4 1.0 ghz 60GB and I have used that for mainly video/photo editing. Basically the computer is so slow and so messed up at this point that I cant even use it for video stuff right now, and running final cut pro on it freezes a lot and is really really slow.

Its definately time to replace this comp with something else but I dont know what. I do a lot of editing, and im going to be doing even more editing coming up as a part of the video business that I am doing. I really want to get a really nice set up, and I was going to get the G5 with problably 2 20" screens until i found out about this intel stuff. Now I would feel like an idiot going out and buying one but after reading some things online I have heard that the new version of the G5 wont come out until august, and I have tons of projects that I am being paid to do between then and now that I will not be able to do on my eMac. Also from what I have been reading about the intels on this site is it seems you are having a lot of trouble with them and I think that I would be better off waiting on it because of how much bad stuff im hearing.

With the G5, I was thinking of doing the 2.3 ghz procesor with 2 gb of ram, 500gb hard drive, and I dont really know too much about the graphics cards, but I want to run 2 20" screens, so do I need to upgrade the graphics card? I would like to keep this as low as possible but still able to run the final cut pro 5, soundtrack pro, dvd studio pro, motion photoshop and livetype without problems. This ends up really really expensive though.

Or what about the macbook pro 2.16 ghz? I could get that with 2 gb ram and then I think that I would want the 7200 rpm drive vs. the 5400 rpm drive so then 100 gb hard drive. Then I would want the 20" screen but my question is can I run the two screens together, using some windows on one screen the rest on the other? Then I would definately need more than 100 gb so what are my options for more space? I have a maxador hooked up to my eMac that I cannot use as a capture scratch drive on final cut pro, is there a different external hard drive that I could use as a capture scratch? This may be the better computer and it would also be cheaper, but what do the owners of the powermacs think? I have also been hearing a lot of problems on the site with them, should I be concerned or not?

Choosing the right computer is about as subjective a topic as asking somebody what their favorite song/color/food etc. is...

...but here is what I think the most critical issue is: Decide what software you want to run and buy a computer that is as generously configured for that software as you can afford.

If Final Cut Pro is your critical software, the best machine for you is a PowerMac G5 - unless you can hold off till the end of this summer, when the Intel "PowerMac" shows up.

If you do get a PowerMac G5, I highly recommend that you upgrade the video card to the GeForce 7800GT. It isn't cheap, but you'll thank me a couple years down the road. The G5 tower will also support multiple drive and leave plenty of room for future expandability.

The MacBook Pro should run FCP well but the towers have the upgradability, better video card options and more "bang for the buck". The G5 will be supported for a few years yet, so I wouldn't be too worried about buying a PPC (although if you can hold out till August I recommend it).

Choosing the right computer is about as subjective a topic as asking somebody what their favorite song/color/food etc. is...

...but here is what I think the most critical issue is: Decide what software you want to run and buy a computer that is as generously configured for that software as you can afford.

If Final Cut Pro is your critical software, the best machine for you is a PowerMac G5 - unless you can hold off till the end of this summer, when the Intel "PowerMac" shows up.

If you do get a PowerMac G5, I highly recommend that you upgrade the video card to the GeForce 7800GT. It isn't cheap, but you'll thank me a couple years down the road. The G5 tower will also support multiple drive and leave plenty of room for future expandability.

The MacBook Pro should run FCP well but the towers have the upgradability, better video card options and more "bang for the buck". The G5 will be supported for a few years yet, so I wouldn't be too worried about buying a PPC (although if you can hold out till August I recommend it).

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I agree totally, however you will find out in August about the new line and probably have to wait another month or two for shipping. It happened with the MBP, so if you need it now then buy a PM G5 now. Sounds like you need the computer to make some money.

A new G5 with FCP right now will run FCP infinitely better than an Intel box that hasn't been released running an Intel version of FCP that hasn't been released.

You can always sell the G5 later when the Intels come out. There is certain to be a good market for used pro G5 boxes for a year or two after the Intel comes out, due to software that isn't yet ready for the Intels.

Thanks for the help. I think im gonna go with the G5 for sure, now I just need a little bit of help of how to set it up, with keeping it as low cost as possible.

I think 500GB hard drive is a necesary thing, but will I be fine with the dual 2.0 or do I NEED the 2.3? I really want to keep this low cost as possible while still a really good editing machine. Also, how much ram? and do I need the more expensive ECC? Also graphics card, I do not want to pay 1700 dollars for a better one, but NVIDA 6600 or do I need to pay the extra 400 for the NVIDA 1700 GT? I would probalby running 1-2 screens, problably 1 to start then a second later. Anything else that im missing that I need to do for the G5?

Reminder, budget, but still a really good editing system. And what exactly is FCP?

The difference between the dual 2.0 and the dual 2.3 is significant but not earth-shattering. a Dual 2.0 shuld be more than sufficient.

I HIGHLY recommend upgrading the video card to the GeForce 7800GT - at the moment the 7800GT and the Quadro are ONLY available as build-to-order options, not a la carte. Plus, there are no retail cards available for the current crop of G5s. Thus, you'll be stuck with the stock GeForce 6600 for who knows how long. You can upgrade RAM/hard drive/display etc. later but you can only get the better video card direct from Apple when you order the computer, so it's the most critical upgrade.

As far as the rest of the specs, buy the best you can afford - I don't use FCP but many of the people here that do run multiple hard drives with one being the boot drive and the others for their projects. It's hard to be more specific but the one upgrade I can't stress enough is that GeForce7800GT video card, since you'll only have one chance to get it.

Here's another option you may not have considered - buying a refurbished G5 from Apple. They are currently giving good deals on refurb G5 towers. And since they are the previous revision model, they use AGP bus video cards that are much easier to get than the current machines' PCI Express bus video cards. The speed differences between the two are pretty small (in some cases nil) and you'll save some money.

Basically, you need the G5. It's a bad time to buy for someone in your position, but you do need the G5. The software you're talking about isn't converted to Universal binary yet, so it will be very slow on the Intel machines (and some won't run at all). Even when that software does come out for the Intel machines, it'll probably take a few months before it's perfected.

Personally, all of my macs now are Intel machines. The only program I need which doesn't run well under Rosetta is Adobe GoLive, but even that doesn't runa lot slower than it did on my old 1GHz G4. But the video software, etc., that you're talkig about won't work well under Rosetta (and things like Final Cut won't run at all).

Personally I think that the iMac 20" Core Duo is perfect for what you need for the next couple of years. bigger HD (you can go up to 500GB) and faster, great graphics, big screen. It's good for a start. I think can easily compete with the dual G5 powermac once it has universal binaries.

You could also buy a 20" iMac with 256 MB VRAM, 2 GB RAM, 500 GB HDD, and then add another 20" ACD. That's a lot cheaper than getting an PowerMac, and you want it cheap. Consider that the next FCP will perhaps only be available for Intel Macs. The iMac itself will be $2.374, and you can take another 20" ACD. If you want a 2.3 GHz PowerMac, with 2 GB RAM (Non ECC), 500 GB HDD, 7800 GT, and 2x20" ACD's and AirPort+BT 2.0, it's going to be $5.146. The iMac will run all these without problems, and you won't have to wait. I would go for 20" iMac.

your eMac is running like "Crap" now because I am sure you havent reformatted the drive?

Its 60GB doing "pro" video, its going to get lots of reads/writes/renders and the like. After a MAJOR project, or a few minor, you always should reformat the drive to run smooth. That is why most "pros" use multiple drives, at least one for the OS and another for Video scratch.

Though I find it strange to be "pro" on eMac and then go like 270° in the other direction with a G5...and whats more how can you do LOTS AND LOTS of video work on a 60GB?

being generous I think it leaves only 45GB or so for video files and scratch....?

if you think the work was good on the eMac, wait till you get some REAL power.

...Consider that the next FCP will perhaps only be available for Intel Macs. ...

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No way will the next version of FCP coming next year or so be Intel only. It will be universal. Apple would leave the vast majority of their customers in the dark like that. Considering that the G5 PM will be still here until the Fall and that PM users usually keep their machines for a few years, the next version of FCP, even if it comes out late 2007 will be universal, I guarantee.

To the OP, I would get a 2.3 DC PM with 500GB HD, 7800 Vid card, and 2-3GB of outside vendor RAM. 6+ more months of loss productivity will not be beneficial too you considering the faster you can do your work, the more money you can make. So Actually buying a decked out computer now will only be a small hit considering the extra money generated.

...I have heard that the new version of the G5 wont come out until august...

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Um, maybe that was just a typo, but the G5 processor is unlikely to figure in many newly-released Macs, if any at all.

Sure there could be another revision squeezed out of it for the pro users who cannot easily switch to Intel yet (for the reasons others have mentioned, that the apps have not yet been converted to run natively on the Intel chip), but if it happens I'd say that it'll be just a minor speed boost, and unless you really need every bit of speed / power the G5 offers then don't bother. Like it or not, the future for now is Intel.

Apple said that all their pro apps would be able to run natively on Intel chips by March, so if you can hold on a little longer things may begin to look rosier. However, if you then have to invest in muchos expensive software it may end up costing you a bit. Depends what offers Apple have on cross-grading from PPC to Universal Binary / Intel versions.

A decent refurb PowerMac G5 and some extra RAM would definitely see you right for the time being, and it might hold its resale value down the line when everything goes native Intel.

If you do end up waiting it out a while then why not get a large external hard drive for your eMac and use it for some of those video files. Make sure you clean up your eMac's hard drive though, as heavy video work on a 60GB drive will surely have fragged the poor sucker to bits.

Clone from the eMac to the external, erase the eMac and then clone back. You might be surprised how much better your old workhorse feels.

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